The present invention relates to a medical image display apparatus for displaying medical images of a biological tissue and a method for displaying medical images. The present invention relates in particular to a medical image display apparatus for displaying elastic images of a biological tissue as the medical images, and a method for displaying medical images.
An ultrasonic image display apparatus which causes elastic images each comprised of a display form corresponding to the elasticity of a biological tissue to be displayed has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-118152 or the like. Even as to an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) system, a system capable of displaying elastic images of a biological tissue has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-283372 or the like. Each of an ultrasound elastic image displayed by the ultrasonic image display apparatus and an MRI elastic image displayed by the MRI system is an image comprised of colors corresponding to the elasticity of the biological tissue, for example.
Incidentally, the MRI elastic image is an image wider in range than the ultrasound elastic image. On the other hand, the ultrasound elastic image is generally more excellent in spatial resolution than the MRI elastic image. Thus, as an image diagnosis that takes advantage of the characteristics of both images, there is, for example, a case where it is desired to display the MRI elastic image at an ultrasound image display apparatus, and confirm and diagnose a portion or region considered to be a diseased portion by real-time ultrasound elastic images excellent in spatial resolution after the diseased portion is specified while seeing images of whole organs such as liver, etc. through the MRI elastic image.
Since, however, the MRI elastic image and the ultrasound elastic image are generated using their corresponding color maps by an MRI system and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, portions or regions having the same elasticity in a biological tissue are displayed in mutually different colors at the respective elastic images. Thus, when a second elastic image generated at other medical image display apparatus is displayed at a medical image display apparatus for displaying a first elastic image, portions having the same elasticity can be displayed in the same display form at the first elastic image and the second elastic image. There has thus been a demand for a medical image display apparatus capable of displaying images useful for diagnosis.